


Home Is Where Your Kelda Is

by Wapwani



Category: Discworld - Terry Pratchett, Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Crack Crossover, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-26
Updated: 2015-03-28
Packaged: 2018-03-19 16:09:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3616155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wapwani/pseuds/Wapwani
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's a crackfic. Storybrooke is facing an invasion of an unusual nature. Regina and Emma have to figure out how to save the day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Oparu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oparu/gifts).



> If you've not read any of the Discworld stuff, please do. I do not do Pratchett's words or worlds justice here.

Regina felt it; a disturbance in the fabric of magic, a sort of tear, but so faint and distant that she wasn’t quite sure –

“Regina!”

“Ms. Swan.”

“I brought you a coffee. And a doughnut for Henry. There’s one for you too, if you like.”

“It’s 8:00a.m.!”

“Breakfast of champions.”

“Thank you. For the coffee.” Regina took the cup from Emma’s hands, waved away the doughnut, and the two women fell into step as they walked down the street towards the town hall. The disturbance she’d felt was no longer registering, and the thought of it slipped out of Regina’s mind.

 

\---

Emma Swan had never enjoyed homework, but practicing her magic wasn’t really that much of a chore. So every evening she’d settle into her living room, a bottle of beer close to hand (sometimes necessary to douse the flames caused by a miscast spell), and run through a selection of control exercises Regina had her working on. Today was shaping and forming. She called up a mass of bright cloud and started manipulating it into different images and shapes. She started easy with geometric forms, and as she grew more confident, moved on to more detailed animal shapes, cars, and finally people. She had just about got an accurate rendering of Regina’s amused grin when she heard a scuttling and crash from the kitchen behind her.

A glass had fallen off the counter and shattered on the ground.

‘Rats?’ She thought to herself. ‘Rats!’

As she cleaned up the mess, she made a mental note to pick up some traps at the store. Then she went back to conjuring up her favourite Regina expressions.

\---

 

She’d barely settled in behind her desk the next morning before the calls started coming in. Vandalism and thefts were happening all over Storybrooke – broken windows and bottles of alcohol missing from Granny’s; food taken from the grocery store; a farmer who swore he’d seen an entire sheep levitate itself into the woods and disappear.

She called Regina.

“Do you have any idea what may be causing this? It seems like there’s something more going on than just kids goofing off. A levitating sheep sounds like some form of magic.”

“You’re sure Ronald hadn’t just been helping himself to Granny’s whisky? That would explain two of your occurrences.”

“Yeah. I thought about that. He’s got an alibi. _And_ he’s missing a sheep. His wife confirmed that.”

“Odd.” Regina said thoughtfully. “There’s something about these thefts-“

“Hang on Regina. I’ve got a mob forming.”

“You _what?_ Ms. Swan? Emma!” But it was no use. The Sheriff had hung up.

 

\---

 

Regina’s car pulled up in front of the Sheriff’s office. ‘If this is Emma’s idea of a mob’, she thought grimly, ‘it’s a good thing she’d never been an evil queen. She wouldn’t survive one day.’

The five or six unhappy citizens of Storybrooke who had gathered obviously had their Sheriff a bit rattled though.

Emma was trying to calm them down, making placating gestures with her hands and assuring them she’d get to the bottom of whatever was causing all these incidents.

“ _Five_ pies!” a woman was saying angrily “I made them for the bake sale, and now what am I supposed to bring?”

“I’d been brewing that beer for _weeks_!” grumbled an older gentleman. “It was going to be my signature brew. And now all I have is empty bottles and pi-“

“Yes, yes, we’ve all heard about the…leftovers,” Emma said hurriedly. She had caught sight of Regina, and had to force herself to stop the big smile that started lighting up her face. “The mayor and I are already in discussions. We’ll get to the bottom of this!”

She managed to get the ‘mob’ out of her office. They went more willingly than she’d thought they would. But Regina stood shoulder to shoulder with the sheriff; the combination of haughty confidence and earnest goodwill obviously had the people feeling their complaints were in good hands.

 

When they were alone, Regina demanded details.

“It seems like pranks and petty theft really. Food and alcohol going missing all over town; broken windows, one kicked in door. Like _really_ kicked in. The bottom half is in shards. I saw the pictures. One case of home-made beer swilling and, umm, urination,” Regina’s mouth twisted in distaste, and Emma hurriedly added, “Oh, and a cat with a concussion.”

“Someone kicked a cat?"

“No. It’s weird. The vet said it was like someone had taken a very small hammer and sort of...conked the cat on the head. Like a _tiny_ but forceful head-butt.”

Sudden awareness crossed Regina’s face, as if a curtain had descended. An unhappy curtain. Her brows furrowed, and she started to rub at her temples as though in pain.

Emma’s concern ratcheted up about a thousand percent.

“Regina? Are you ok? Can I get you something? Wa-“

“Has anyone said anything about–hmm, what would it be…rats or mice-“

“Me! I heard rats in my kitchen last night.”

“And are we sure you don’t actually _have_ rats, Ms. Swan? You do sometimes forget to throw away your pizza boxes.”

“That was _one_ time Regina! And I wasn’t expecting you! I was tired!”

“Yes. Yes. All right. Well, it’s the best lead we have right now. We’re going to have to stakeout your kitchen.”

“Stake- are we talking vampires here?”

“Really Sheriff? Your brilliant deductive mind leads you to the conclusion that vampires enjoy cheap booze and over-baked pies?”

“Hey. I like Mrs. Hubbard’s pies!”

Regina sighed. “Stakeout, as in, keep watch over the scene of the crime in case the perpetrators return.”

“Look, I know I’m not a very good in the kitchen, but do you really have to refer to it as a-“

Regina rolled her eyes. “Emm-Ms. Swan. You are being deliberately obtuse. Stop it now, or I won’t bring you a surprise tonight. Expect me at 7:00.” She turned and walked away, leaving a grinning Emma behind her.

 

\---

 

At 7:01p.m., there was a knock on Emma’s front door. She had to force back another big smile. It wouldn’t do to look too eager when she welcomed Regina into her home. She didn’t want to send the wrong message. This was a work visit, not fun.

It seemed Regina hadn’t got that memo.

She’d dressed down. Her hair was looser somehow, and framed her face gently. She wore jeans that fitted just-so, a big sweater (oversized, but still horribly stylish), soft boots, a leather jacket, and her hands were laden with bags which both smelled divine and clinked gently as she stepped into the living room.

Emma’s brain had stuttered to a halt, but one regally raised eyebrow had her rushing forward, although she wasn’t sure what she was going to do first, help Regina with her jacket or take the bags or-

Regina held the bags out. Ah ok. Yeah. Take the bags, _then_ help her with her jacket.

Emma wondered for a moment if ‘Casual Regina’ was to be her surprise, then she noticed what was in one of the bags she was holding.

“You baked!”

“I figured, if you honestly believe that Mrs. Hubbard’s pies are passable, that your palate needs some fine tuning.”

“It’s not apple.”

“No.” An ever-so-slightly shamefaced look crossed the mayor’s face. “I thought not. I do have skills with other fruit, but not everyone is aware of that.”

Emma grinned, but only said, “I’ll take these to the kitchen.”

“No, wait.” Regina unpacked the bags she’d brought. She set one large gloriously browned and temptingly shiny peach pie on the coffee table in the living room. Next to it she placed a bottle of red wine and a six-pack of Emma’s favourite beer. Finally she pulled out a large brown bottle, unlabeled, and Emma could swear she could see steam rising from under the cork. That bottle Regina carried carefully to the kitchen and placed gently on the countertop.

“What is that?”

“For later.”

 

\---

 

A couple of hours later, and Emma was thinking that this stakeout was feeling more and more like a…she hesitated to say date, but really that’s what it felt like.

She’d asked Regina what they were supposed to be looking out for, but Regina had said she wasn’t going to speculate until she was sure, and they were just going to have to wait and see. And that was the extent of the conversation they had about the mysterious crime wave they were supposed to be trying to solve.

For the rest of the evening they had eaten far too much pie, and drunk almost all the alcohol Regina had brought. They had talked and laughed. They had watched a movie Emma had chosen, something with explosions and car chases. Regina had actually watched it, not just tolerated it. Emma knew, because she had reacted correctly in all the right places. Now they were watching something Regina had picked. An artsy film, with subtitles. The mayor had kicked off her boots and had curled up on the couch, leaning gently into Emma's side. They were basically one step away from cuddling.

A small stifled sound brought Emma’s focus back from the warmth of Regina’s slight weight against her side. She glanced down at Regina’s face and saw tears welling up in her eyes. What? Why? Okay, someone in the movie had just died or something, but was that any reason to cry? Instinctively her arm went around Regina’s shoulders, and her thumb brushed gently against her skin, capturing the tear that was rolling down her cheek. Regina glanced up, her eyes dark and intense, filled with a nameless emotion. She had no option. She may as well have been caught in a spell. Emma leaned down and kissed her.

By the time her brain caught up with what she was doing, before the panic had a chance to set in, Regina had pulled back slightly, made the quietest ‘oh’ sound, and then leaned up and kissed her back.

Energy flared in her, the magic in her veins calling out to Regina’s power. They were drowning in it. Why had they never thought to do this before? Emma tangled her hands in Regina’s hair, pulling her closer, reveling in the feel of Regina’s arms closing around her, her hands clasping at Emma’s neck and arms, melding them together, giving in to this all-consuming-

Something crashed behind them. A high-pitched lament filled the air.

They pulled apart, eyes wide, gasping for breath.

“Godsdamnit!” Regina swore

“What is that?” Emma’s voice was surprisingly steady. Panicked, but steady.

Regina had already leapt to her feet and hurried towards the kitchen. The bottle she had placed on the counter had fallen onto the floor. It hadn’t broken, but it was vibrating madly, a blue blur swirling around it. The high-pitched noise seemed to be coming from this blur. Regina waved her hand, and the blur slowed, revealing itself to be two small men, with shocks of bright red hair, their skin so thoroughly covered with whorls of blue tattoos that it was impossible to see if there was any other colour underneath. They were running around the bottle, helplessly, as though they were being forced to. The noise they were making resolved itself into words, of a sort. “Wailey wailey wailey.”

“Regina, what the hell is going on?” Emma demanded.

“I was _hoping_ I was wrong.” Regina muttered. “These are Feegles.”


	2. Chapter 2

“What the hell are Feegles?!”

“They’re not from around here.”

“No kidding.”

“They are from…over there.”  
  
“That makes no sense Regina.”

“A world different than this one. A world different than any of the realms you’re familiar with.” She sighed. “We’d best get to the bottom of this.”

She waved a hand again, and the Feegles finally stopped running. They clutched at their sides, puffing and panting.

Regina sat on Emma’s kitchen floor, her denim-clad legs folded easily into a half-lotus, and her oversized sweater drooping to expose a smooth shoulder. That sight alone should have made Emma question her senses, but there was something about the little blue men, a sort of solid reality, that left her no doubt that this – whatever this was – was really happening.

“Right my wee men,” Regina was saying, using her town meeting voice, “What are you doing here?”

“Yooz trapped us, hag!”

“Aye. We’re fair jiggered with all tha’ runnin’ aroond.”

“I’m not talking about the holding spell.” Regina snarled. “Why are you _here_ , in _my_ realm?”

“Och it’s _your_ realm noo is it?” said the taller of the two men, “Ye ken wha’ we say to that? No quin! No king! We’ll nae be fooled agin!”

The shorter of the two however seemed to come to a realization that had him shaking. He grabbed his friend’s arm. “Wheesht, Little Big Willie. Do ye nae ken who _she_ is?” 

“A bigjob hag.”

“You stop calling her that!” Emma’s ears had finally acclimatized to the tinny Scots-like accent, and she was fairly sure that was at least the second time the small men had insulted Regina.

“It’s okay Emma,” Regina told her, “Hag means witch. And they aren’t that far off the mark there, are they?”

While the women had talked, the two Feegles had put their heads together for a hurried conference. Little Big Willie had shuffled behind his smaller companion, and seemed to be finding his feet a lot more interesting than looking up at Regina.

“Alright then Quin Hag, dinnae bother aboot him, the big daftie.”

“And what do I call you?”

“Och aye, I’m Big Little Davy, ye ken.”

Emma slumped to the floor next to Regina. “This isn’t just the beer, right? There are two miniature blue men named Big Little and Little Big standing in my kitchen, speaking barely-English, which you understand, and…and… _they_ are responsible for the concussed cats and levitating sheep?”

“Aye,” said Big Little Davy, his chest puffing out with pride. “Though t’wer quite a small ships ye ken. But we were that famished.”

“I’m sorry, you _ate_ an entire sheep? The _two_ of you?”

“Oh. Um. Well.” He glanced at Regina, “There may be a few more o’ us.”

Regina glared around the kitchen. “Out here. Now.”

Blue blurs appeared from all over the kitchen, and gathered behind Big Little Davy. When they’d all settled Emma counted fifteen or twenty little men, all bright blue, with brighter red hair, and wearing a variety of skins and kilts and boots and random head gear. She was fairly sure one of them had on a rat’s skull as a helmet. Every man had some sort of weapon about his person. They fairly bristled with edged blades. The fact that these weapons were only a few inches tall did nothing to dull their threat.

Regina glared at the men some more, and a few of them set up a sing-song chant of “wailey wailey wailey.”

“Why are you in my realm?” She asked again, directing her question at Big Little Davy.

“We wuz tryin’ tae get home, Quin Hag. But we lost sight o’ oor Kelda, and we jinged right instead o’ left, ye ken, and then we fetched up here.”

At the mention of their Kelda, more of the little men started wailing. Emma saw a few of them sobbing into the shoulders of the men standing besides them. One of them blew his nose on a big piece of fur.

This sight didn’t seem to move Regina.

“And why are you still here? Why haven’t you stepped back home, instead of invading my realm and tormenting my subjects?”

“Nae nae nae, Quin Hag. You’ve t’ wrong end o’ t’ stick! We’re stuck here aye. Sure as sure, we’ve _tried_ tae leave, but we’re gummed in! The magiks all wrong, ye ken.”

“The town borders, you’re held here.” Regina said slowly.

“Aye. We try tae go, and summat yoinks us back. Ev’ry time.”

“We’ve lost oor Kelda.” Wailed one of the men.

“We’ll ne’er see oor brothers agin.” Cried another.

“We wuz tryin’ tae find a hag tae help us.” Big Little Davy hushed his brothers and took up the story again. “We thought the big wee lass up there,” he pointed at Emma “would be able tae magik us home. But she couldnae see us.”

“Not much o’ a hag, aye? Still tryin’ the learnin’ o’ it?” Little Big Willie piped up kindly.

“Hey.” Emma said, affronted. “I _am_ pretty good at the magik – I mean magic.”

“We were tae try agin tonight. But we had a powerful thirst. An’ you wuz doin’ the kissyface – “

“Right. Yes. Never mind that.” Regina broke in.

“An’ then turns oot yooz magiked t’ bottle, an’ here we all are.”

Regina sighed. “This is going to take some thinking about.”

“Aye. Thas’ a job for keldas an’ bigjob hags fer sure.”

“Agreed. You gentlemen need to stay here and out of trouble. You’ve taken enough food to last you I hope?”

“Oh. Umm. Aye? It were only a verra small ships, ye ken.”

“We’ll order some pizza.” Emma said flatly.

Regina waved her hand over the unlabeled bottle and said “And that’s safe for you to carry off now. Do _not_ leave this house.”

“Aye. We ken well Quin Hag. We’ll nae step oot this night.”

“Thank ‘e for the wee dram Quin Hag,” Little Big Willie said politely. “An’ for tryin’ tae get us hame. We do miss our Kelda an’ brothers summat fierce.”

Regina cleared her throat and said carefully “Dinnae fash yerself my man. We’ll find a way hame for yooz.”

Little Big Willie gave her such an adoring look as his brothers dragged him, and the brown bottle, back away behind the cupboards that Emma felt the most ridiculous flare of jealousy. The man was six inches tall. And blue. And his entire wardrobe seemed to consist of a kilt and boots made of what looked suspiciously like mole fur. And he was six inches tall. She realised that Regina was looking at her with an amused grin.

“What?”

“Never change, Ms. Swan.” Regina said fondly. 

“I _will_ remind you of that. Someday.” Emma grumbled.

Regina laughed. “Be a hero and help me up? This floor is cold.”

“Oh, right!” Emma scrambled upright and held out her hands to help Regina to her feet. She got the briefest brush of a kiss for her trouble, and felt her toes curl with delight.

“We’re going to have to figure out a way to bank that reaction later.” Regina said thoughtfully, “But first things first. We’ve got to find a new way between the realms.”

Later? There was going to be more of that later? Okay. No problems. These Feegles were going _home_.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of exposition-by-dialogue in this section. Emma has to learn about the Feegles and their world somehow!

It was nearly midnight, there was no more beer anywhere in the house, a stack of pizza boxes sat empty on the kitchen table, and the Feegles had disappeared back out of sight into the crevices and corners. Emma’s head was throbbing; she feared they were no nearer to figuring out a solution.

“So, let me see if I’ve understood. The kelda is a sort of witch leader?”

“Well, not exactly. The Feegles don’t have witches the way you and I may understand it. Keldas are the heart and soul of a clan, and they are powerful in ways I can’t even begin to comprehend. But Feegles are only rarely affected by magic. They are more a force of nature than magical beings.”

“Yes. Okay. That made perfect sense.”

Regina sighed, and Emma tried again. “The world they come from, sounds like it’s pretty different than here, or the Enchanted Forest?”

“Oh yes. Their world is a world of…possibilities.”

“So, like, anything that could happen does? So…you may have succeeded in your plans to destroy everyone’s happy endings there?”

“No. No. It’s not an alternate universe. It’s more like…all the possibilities of what could be are commonplace there. The magic, it’s different. It’s more powerful than here, but also less so. It gives you more, but takes so much more from you.”

“Uh huh. Okay. And the Feegles would be like Elves-“

A small, drunken, voice called out “Pictsies!”

“They don’t like Elves.” Regina said hurriedly. “They are, as he said, Pictsies. They are an old race. One of the oldest. That should make it easier for what we’re trying to do actually. The very bones of their world will call out to them. If only I knew where to look.”

Emma dragged her hands over her face, groaning “How on Earth do you know all this?”

“I found a forgotten book once, written by a woman from their world. She had worked out a way to move between the realms, between all the worlds. She stopped by the Enchanted Forest, and left a record. A sort of illustrated atlas.”

“She wrote about the Feegles?”

“She wrote about many things. I wish I’d paid more attention. I was looking for spells that would destroy. I wasn’t searching for knowledge. So I ignored it. I thought it was a joke. A fantasy.”

Emma reached out took Regina’s hands between her own. “You’ve learned so much since then,” she said gently. “You’re nothing like you were then.”

Regina’s smile was sad. “That’s not going to do us much good if I can’t figure out a way to locate their home world.”

“So, we’ll be stuck with them?”

“More like they’ll be stuck with us. They’ll never see their brothers or their Kelda again.”

“Well, maybe they _could_ stay here? I think you’d make a pretty good kelda.”

Regina laughed. “I don’t think so. One of the things the kelda does is reproduce more Feegles. She’ll have hundreds of babies.”

“Hundreds?”

“Oh yes. That’s why they’re all brothers.”

“Yeah. Okay. That’s not going to work. We have enough trouble with Henry. I can’t see us parenting hundreds of Feegles as well.”

She wondered why Regina was giving her that odd little smile - soft and gentle, contented but also sort of questioning. It was a very complicated smile. “Umm. Can we talk about, you know, _later,_ now?”

Regina shook her head. “After we get the Feegles home.”

“Because I was just wondering,” Emma persisted “why it felt the way it did."

“Intent.” Regina said briefly.

“But, we’ve touched before,” Emma countered. “It’s just skin against skin-“

Regina laughed. “Really Ms. Swan. So when you kissed me, there was the same intent behind it as – oh – shaking my hand?”

“Well…”

“What _was_ your intent? What were you thinking?”

“That I wanted to comfort you, but I’ve done that before!”

“What else?”

Emma had to look away from Regina’s intense look. It was impossible to deny the contention that there had been more than comfort motivating that kiss. “Umm. I wanted to protect you. You were sad. I wanted you to not be sad. I needed you to be happy.”

“And there you have it. You were casting, without even realising it.”

“But you did it too! Before – when you kissed me in the kitchen.”

“Yes. Well. Once a door has been opened, it’s difficult to get it entirely closed again.”

“That analogy makes no sense!”

“Fine! Once a seal has been broken, there will always be leakage. There. Do you prefer that analogy? It doesn’t sound quite as…romantic does it?”

“No. You’re right. I like the door thing better.”

“Look, the point is, you and me, there is a connection. There’s always been a connection between us. We’ve just unlocked a different-“ She broke off suddenly. “Leakage! Of course!”

The mayor hurried into the kitchen, calling for Big Little Davy and the other Feegles. The first to pop up was Little Big Willie, the besotted look still firmly in place on his face. He’d slicked his shock of red hair down flat to his scalp, the effect only slightly spoiled by the many scars this revealed. He was holding the decapitated head of a flower, one he’d obviously stolen from the vase in the corner of the living room. He shyly presented the wilting bloom to Regina, ignoring the sniggering of his brothers. She received it graciously, reminding Emma of the times she’d seen Regina presiding over school plays, when a nervous little child had been given the heady responsibility of presenting the mayor with the welcoming bouquet.

“Ye’ve sussed out a plan then, Quin Hag?” the Feegle asked hopefully.

“Aye. I think so. But I must ask, do any of you have something that belonged to your brothers, or kelda, back home? Something they’d have been fond of, or left some kind of mark on?”

The men huddled conferring in loud whispers that soon got angry. There were a few smacks and shoves. This didn’t worry Emma, not after Regina had told her that the only thing Feegles loved more than stealing (and consuming) all sorts of food and farm animals, was drinking, and the only thing that could get them to stop drinking was a good (or bad) fight. And if they didn’t have anyone to fight, they would quite happily fight themselves.

After a few minutes of consultation, Big Little Davy emerged, wringing his hands. “We’ve only got t’one thing, Quin Hag. It’s a wee snot rag y’see.”

“A snot- oh, a handkerchief.” Regina said, relieved.

“Aye. One o’ those jobs. It’s a wee bit grubby. Bein’ as the Kelda used it when she was birthin’.”

“Used it to do what?” Emma asked, trying to keep the tinge of horror out of her voice.

“Oh, t’were for the moppin’ of her brow ye ken. Works up a right good sweat, t’ birthin’ does.”

“Oh. Yeah.” Emma agreed feelingly.

“That’ll do very well, I’m sure.” Regina said, not sounding as confident as Emma would have liked. “Sweat should do. Although blood would be better-“

“Och aye, why did ye not say, Quin Hag?” Big Little Davy said cheerfully. “If it’s t’ blud yer after, we’ve bukits of that.”

“Not your own blood!” Regina clarified.

“Nae, nae. I ken reet well. Ye’d be after the blud o’ oor brothers.”

“Yes.”

“Och, we’d all hae’ a bit o’ that, Quin Hag. I prolly still have some o’ Wee Daft Hamish’s blud on me knuckles now.”

The other Feegles started to chime in, offering up knives and boots and unwashed hands and faces. The Feegles’ propensity for fighting and their suspicion of regular baths were proving to be most helpful. Regina’s smile broadened and her eyes glinted with glee. In the old days, that would have been a sight to chill the blood, but Emma welcomed that look now. It said that Regina had a plan, and she wasn’t afraid to use it.

 


	4. Chapter 4

 

The first part of the plan involved moving them all back to Regina’s house. The primary reason for that was because she wanted to see Henry before embarking on their operation, but also because Regina wanted the comfort of being on her own turf. She hadn’t given Emma many details, but the spell she was going to try – well she was pretty much making it out of whole cloth, and she would prefer to have every possible advantage she could at her disposal. Including the advantage of familiar surroundings, in a quiet secluded spot, far away from any neighbours who may ask inconvenient questions about any screaming or explosions.

  
So Emma and the Feegles piled into Regina’s car, Emma riding up front with the mayor and the little blue men jostling for space on the back seat. They were oddly subdued on the drive, one stern warning from Regina about ruining the upholstery keeping their arguing and general foolery down to a bare minimum. Little Big Willie however rode sitting on the back of the driver’s seat, anchoring himself by sticking his dagger into the leather of the headrest. Surprisingly, Regina allowed this disrespectful treatment of her prized car. Emma wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about that.

Even though it was so late when they arrived, Snow and David, who had volunteered to baby-sit for the duration of the stakeout, met them at the door. Regina went up to Henry’s room to wake him, leaving Emma to explain to her parents about Feegles and other realms, and finding ways home. When Regina returned downstairs with a sleepy but determined Henry, the Feegles were lined up on a kitchen counter facing the confused-looking Charmings.

“Regina,” Snow said carefully, “Are you sure this is safe? These … Feegles have been wreaking havoc all over town.”

“They’ve just been trying to find a way home.” Regina said, her voice tired. “They wouldn’t be stuck here if it wasn’t for my border-spell. I owe it to them to try to get them safely back where they belong.”

Snow and David exchanged a look then nodded in unison. “Ok,” Snow spoke for both of them. “Fine. We’re coming too.”

“No. It’s too-“ she broke off, glancing at Emma, and her son. “You would be much more useful to me staying here and looking after Henry.”

“Yeah.” Emma added. “We can handle this.”

“Actually Emma, I don’t think I need you to-“

“Really? Are we really going to have this argument? Can’t we just assume we’ve yelled at each other, and now we’re at the point where we both know I’m coming with you?”

“Emma-“

“It’s late Regina. I’d like to get at least a few hours of sleep before we go traipsing off to other realms.”

Regina huffed an exasperated breath. “Fine.”

A tension suddenly went out of the room, and the Feegles relaxed, and started clambering over the kitchen counters and exploring the contents of drawers and cupboards. A few of them scaled a chair next to where Henry stood and they proceeded to have an animated if confused conversation. Snow and David did their best to marshal the blue tide into some semblance of control and order, but it was obvious they were fighting a losing battle. Finally Regina pulled a few more unlabeled brown bottles out of a cupboard and handed them over to Big Little Davy. He hefted a bottle in one hand, and two other Feegles took charge of the others, somehow managing to effortlessly carry bottles that were three times their height and probably five times as heavy.

“You will stay in this room.” Regina was saying sternly. “And let the others sleep.”

“Och aye. Dinnae fash yersel’ Quin Hag. Ye’ll nae hear e’en a cheep oot o’ us.”

While Regina dealt with the Feegles, Emma tried to convince Henry to go back to bed. This was difficult because he was so taken with his new companions, particularly Bony Horace, the Feegle who wore the rat skull as helmet. He was perched on Henry’s shoulder, holding on to his ear. “He’s a brae wee wean. Though he cannae say wi’ch one o’ youse his mam?”

“That’s because we both are.”

“Aye? Tha’d be a cannie tale fer sure.”

“A tale for another time.” Emma responded. “This wee wean needs to get back to bed.”

“Aww mum.”

“Bed. Now. We’ll come say goodbye before we set off.”

“Mind yer mams, laddie.” Bony Horace said cheerfully, dropping off Henry’s shoulder. “I’m offski fer a wee skoosh. Climbin’ up all o’er ye bigjobs is druthy work.”

Henry looked in confusion at Emma, who shrugged. Her Feegle was improving, but wasn’t up to that.

“He’s thirsty.” Regina said, quiet amusement in her voice. “He’s going to join his brothers for a drink. And you, my brae wean, are going back to sleep.”

Henry grumbled, but allowed Snow and David to escort him back up to bed. Emma and Regina waited until the house stilled, the only noises being a steady glugging and the clink of bottles. Then a Feegle started to sing; a soft, sad tune. Soon twenty other voices took it up, and though the volume climbed no higher, the power of the song built until it filled the room with a feeling of yearning and loss.

Emma looked at Regina’s face, at the sorrow that had settled there. She took her hand and drew her away from the kitchen and into the living room where she pulled her down next to her on the couch.

“We’ll get them back home,” she promised.

Regina sighed and curled herself into Emma’s body. Emma’s arms wrapped automatically around the smaller woman, and she leaned back, pulling Regina to lie on the couch besides her, making her body both a cradle and a shield. She ran her hands through Regina’s hair, her touch gentle and light. After a little while, she whispered in Regina’s ear.

“What exactly is in those bottles?” 

Regina’s genteel snort of laughter made her grin.

“Cider.”

“I’ve had your cider, Regina. There is no way that’s the same stuff.” 

“This batch has a little punch.” Regina amended.

Emma thought about the steam she’d seen rising from the bottles. “They’re hardy wee buggers, huh?” 

“And you’re starting to sound like them.”

“You know how you said they’re aren’t magical beings?”

“Hmm. Well, not exactly magical. As such.”

“Right. Yeah. Clear as mud. Anyway, they must be able to do some magic. A levitation spell at least, right?”

“Are you still trying to solve the mystery of the disappearing sheep?” 

“Yeah.” 

“It’s not levitation.”

“No?”

“No. It’s just four Feegles with a powerful hunger.”

“Huh?” 

“One for each leg.”

There was a long pause while Emma worked that out. She thought about the ease with which the Feegles had lifted and carried the cider bottles.

“Oh. Wow. And the cat?”

“Probably thought the Feegles were rats. Like you did. Got a head-butt for its trouble. I did tell you they would fight anything, no matter the size.”

“Yeah. Cool.” She sounded impressed, and Regina smiled.

The silence lengthened, and Regina was just starting to drift off to sleep when Emma whispered again.

“Is it…is this okay?” She tightened her clasp around Regina’s body slightly.

“Hmm. It’s nice.”

Emma snuggled her face into Regina’s neck, blowing strands of dark hair out of her mouth. “Yeah.”

Soon everyone slept, except for Little Big Willie. He’d taken a position above the fireplace from where he could stand guard over them all.

 

\---

 

Regina could feel someone watching her. She came fully awake in an instant, an old survival skill that had saved her from a grim fate in the past. She was still held firmly against Emma’s warm body, and what she had felt was the sheriff’s fond gaze. She felt her mouth curve into a lazy smile.

“What?”

“No one should be allowed to look this good after so little sleep,” Emma said, her voice low and husky. “It’s not fair.”

Regina’s smile widened and took on an edge of heat. She stroked Emma’s cheek then curved her hand around the back of her neck, pulling her down to capture her mouth with her own. She started off soft and sweet, a gentle good-morning kiss. But then her power flared, crackling up along her skin. She felt Emma’s energy respond, meeting and twining with her own. The only way she could describe the sensation was as though a cold fire burned through her body, engulfing them both. She growled, the sound coming from deep in her chest, and took Emma’s bottom lip between her teeth tugging and sucking at it hungrily; that set Emma off. She rolled Regina onto her back and rose above her, raking her mouth down her neck, nipping and licking as she went. Regina arched into her, seeking for more contact, scrabbling her hands up under Emma’s shirt, needing to feel skin, to-

“Youse may wan’ tae simmer doon,” a loud voice said, from far too near for comfort. “The wee laddie and yer mam and da be stirrin’”

Emma had yelped, jumped back, and promptly fallen off the couch before Little Big Willie had finished speaking.

Regina caught herself in mid-snarl. On reflection, she was grateful for the warning. This was not the right time for the Charmings or Henry to find out about the burgeoning physical connection between her and Emma. She nodded her thanks at the Feegle, not quite trusting her voice yet, then peeked over the edge of the couch.

“Are you okay?”

“Nothing bruised but my pride.” Despite everything, Emma was grinning, a big goofy, happy grin.

“Are you sure you haven’t hit your head?” Regina asked, concerned.

“Yeah. That was a great way to wake up. Oh, I don’t mean falling on my ass. The other thing.”

“What other thing?” Henry was standing in the doorway, still in his pyjamas, his eyes heavy with sleep.

“Oh nothing. Your mother is just being her usual silly self.” Her words may have seemed harsh, but they did nothing to dim Emma’s grin. Regina frowned. “On your feet, Sheriff. We have work to do.”


	5. Chapter 5

“Tell me again,” Emma said as they finished a hurried breakfast.

The two women were in the kitchen, putting the final touches to their plans. Big Little Davy, Little Big Willie, and Bony Horace had hopped up on the counter next to them. The rest of the Feegles were saying their goodbyes to Henry and the Charmings, and getting in a final glug of the special cider.

“We are going to a sort of…think of it like a central holding room, from where we can see all the worlds.” Regina said.

“Un’erneath ‘em all.”

“Off to the side, sort o’.”

“Directions are – complicated – when it comes to moving around the multiverse.”

“Yeah. I’m getting that.”

“This place, it’s not…nice.”

“Och aye. Stuffed wi’ a bunch o’ right scunners.”

“The Feegles will be the most normal thing we find there.”

“An’ we b’aint ne’er bin call’t normal.” Bony Horace said proudly.

“And you’re going to zap us in there-“

“No. Not me. The Feegles are going to step us through. They can move between the realms far easier than I ever could. And because we’re just going…underneath – the border spell won’t pull them back here.”

“Right ok.” This was actually making a sort of sense. Either that, or Emma’s brain had just given up trying to understand out of self-preservation. 

“Once we’re there, once we can see all the other worlds, I’m going to use a seeking spell on the sweat, blood and bones. Looking for echoes.”

“Leakages.”

“Exactly. That will tell us which direction their world is in. Then I’ll just form a connection and cast them home.”

“Simple.”

“Yeah.”

 

\---

 

It was a motley crew that gathered in Regina’s living room. Snow and David stood framed in the doorway, their hands on Henry’s shoulders, their faces revealing their concern. Even though Emma and danger walked hand-in-hand virtually every day, it never got easier for them watching her get ready to risk her life again. Emma and Regina did make a formidable team though, and that knowledge gave them some solace. 

The mayor and the sheriff stood in the middle of the room, the Feegles ringed around them, faced outwards, weapons drawn. The little blue men were silent now and grim faced. Little Big Willie and Bony Horace had each taken a position besides Emma and Regina. Bony Horace had pulled his skeletal helmet forward, covering his face, his eyes glared out from behind the skull’s empty sockets.

Emma and Regina faced each other. Regina had opted for flat-heeled boots, which meant that Emma towered over her. Her red leather jacket was unzipped, and Snow could just make out the regulation side-arm nestled in the holster at her daughter’s hip. Wherever they were going, Emma obviously wasn’t relying solely on magic to keep them safe. Regina’s eyes were closed, and her power thrummed in a faint purple haze along her outstretched hands. Now they were at the sticking point, Regina put all doubts and fears out of her mind. She could not afford any hesitation. She opened her eyes, fixed her gaze on Emma’s face, and said “Now.”

Big Little Davy started them off, “Feegles wha’ hae’”

“Och go boil yer heid.”

“Wha’ hae’ this!”

“Gie’ ‘em sich a kickin’!”

The sound-off continued around the ring, each man making his presence known. When the calls came back around to Big Little Davy, he thumped his sword hard on the ground, said “Awrite then, awa’ hame wi’ t’ lot o’ us!”

Regina felt the same slight tear in the fabric of magic she had noticed two mornings ago, before Emma had distracted her with coffee and company. She felt the clutch of Little Big Willie’s hand on her calf, sensed a space opening in the air before her, then there was a blurring, and suddenly they were…elsewhere.

 


	6. Chapter 6

Everything was wrong. Emma fell to her knees, clutching at her throat and gasping for breath. The very air hurt, burning and sulfurous. Her head spun. The light was twisted, an orangey-purplish colour that made her want to claw her eyes out. She could hear Feegles shouting “Tae the hags me laddies!” and “Aroond, aroond, hold t’ line ye scunners!” She clutched out in front of her, searching for where she had last seen, “Regina” she gasped through a tortured throat.

 “I’m here.” Her voice, thank goodness, calm and soothing.

Emma felt Regina’s hands on her shoulders, felt the working of her magic, and suddenly she could breathe easily again, her eyes stopped rejecting the gloomy light.

She staggered to her feet, her focus entirely on the smaller woman. “You’re okay?” she demanded, reaching out to her, pulling her into her arms. 

Regina allowed the contact for far too brief a moment then twisted out of her embrace. “I’m sorry. I should have prepared us better.” Emma waved off her apology, finally taking the time to look at their surroundings. 

With her past, nightmares were nothing new for her. She’d had some horrifying dreams. She’d have liked to be in one of those now. 

They were on a sort of rock outcropping, although the spongy ground beneath her feet felt like no rock she’d ever stood on before. The Feegles still circled them in an irregular formation, alert to their surroundings. Hundreds of other rocks floated through the strangely coloured air around them. She could make out giant ghastly creatures moving between and crawling over many of those rocks. Blessedly, the area around them was currently free of these twisted beings.

“You didn’t say anything about tentacles. Or eyeballs. Nothing should have that many eyeballs. Especially not on its tentacles. And doesn’t all the slobber make it difficult for them to see?”

Regina could hear the hysteria building in Emma’s voice.

“Have you ever looked under the floorboards?”

Emma stared at her, the non sequitur giving her something more normal to focus on. “Huh?”

“We’re under the floorboards of the multiverse now. Looking for a crack back into the Feegles’ home.”

“Okay.”

“Have you ever seen some of the things that live under floorboards?”

Emma shuddered, but strangely, this conversation was helping her make sense of what she was seeing, helping her compartmentalise it into some form of normalcy so that she could function.

“Ok. So. What do you need me to do?”

“They’ll notice us soon enough. Do you feel the power here?”

Emma nodded. There was a distinctly malignant taste to the atmosphere.

“There is so much power here. And it is so very dark.” She’d not heard Regina sound so worried, not for a very long time. “I feel it calling to me.”

Emma instinctively stepped closer to Regina, calling up her power; her hands glowed with light.

“Yes. That’s what I need.” Regina said gratefully. “Remind me.”

The sheriff nodded. “I got your back Regina. I’ll watch over you.”

Big Little Davy spoke up. “Nae t’ be a bother Quin Hag, but if youse done bumpin’ gums, mayhap we can gie on wi’ t’ magiks, aye? Onlie, these shoogly skitters will like get t’ scent o’ us soon, ye ken?”

“Yes. Yes of course.” Regina said, her voice back to its confident register. “Sweat, blood and bone.” In her hands she held the tiny grubby handkerchief that had soaked up the Kelda’s sweat, and a tooth that a Feegle had knocked out of his brother’s head and kept on a string around his neck as a lucky talisman. Her hands glowed purple, and she sent tendrils of power licking through the Feegles, tasting the blood of their brothers.

Emma, keeping watch, noticed that the baleful creatures began to turn and roll as though sniffing out a suddenly interesting scent. Of course they’d be drawn to Regina’s magic. Of course that would make her a target. She snarled and her power flared brighter, circling around Regina. The Feegles moved with her, re-positioning themselves to guard the Quin Hag. Little Big Willie planted himself firmly at Regina’s feet, and Emma felt Bony Horace scale up her back to stand on her shoulder.

Regina’s spell continued, flowing outwards and upwards, flaring out into the cloudy and roiling depths.

The creatures reared and started to cluster, seeking out the source of this energy.

The spread of purple tendrils suddenly focused down to a steady pinpoint. “There.” Regina said, her voice grating as though she were in much pain. 

The clustering nightmares split, one group rushing up towards the tiny point of light, the other headed straight for Regina. The Feegles raised their voices, calling out threats and challenges, banging their swords and screaming defiance. 

Regina’s hands twisted through a complicated motion, and suddenly the Feegles were rising, the purple haze encircling them. Emma recognised the start of the teleportation spell. She turned her glance briefly, to look at Regina, to make sure she was okay. And in that moment, the nightmare struck.

The creature must have been moving along under their rock, not part of the bigger pack that was still bearing down on them. In an instant it was looming up before Regina, tentacles reaching out for her, it’s beak snapping, flinging off slobber and bile in every direction. Emma shouted, but it was too late. Regina’s magic grabbed her, thrust her away, towards the Feegles. She felt the buzz of the teleport spell, even as she struggled and pushed and tried to fight her way back to Regina. The last thing she saw was the creature bearing down on Regina’s tiny vulnerable frame, tentacles wrapping around her.

Emma’s scream should have split the heavens.

She was on grass, falling, rolling, coming to her feet. There were noises of voices all around her. A small blue woman stood in her way, hands raised, chanting. She pulled her gun, leveled it at the woman. “Send me back! Send me back!” Her voice was raw and desperate. 

“Oh lass.” The woman’s voice was gentle. “Tha’ll do ye nae good here.” She waved her hand and Emma’s gun dropped from a suddenly nerveless hand.

Emma fell to her knees, clutching at the grass with her good hand. “She’s alone. She’s all alone. _Please._ Send me back.”

“Yer Kelda’s nae alone, lass. Do ye nae see tha’?”

“She’s not my kelda,” she said confused. “She’s my…she’s Regina.”

“Och aye. It’s as I said. Yer Kelda. And she’s nae alone.”

“I’m _here_. She isn’t! She’s alone!”

“Nae lass. Little Big Willie, t’ numpty sook tha’ he is, he stayed behin’.”

“Oh.”

“Aye. He’ll be known as Big Daft Willie frae this day on.” The woman smiled. “An’ now lass, if ye’re done wi’ yer greetin’ and gnashin’, shall we go fetch my wee bairn an’ yer Kelda?”

Emma nodded wordlessly. Then she asked, “Do you know the way?”

“Och, aye. I can’t be havin’ wi’ blud magik for the mos’ part. But yer Kelda had the right idea o’ it. All my bairns’ blud will e’er be mine. I can see Big Daft Willie clear. An’ he’ll be close t’ yer Kelda, ye ken?”

“Yes. Okay. What are we waiting for?”

A wide smile spread over the Kelda’s face. “Aye,” she said, satisfied, “There’s Feegle in ye fer sure.”

The Kelda gestured again, and feeling returned to Emma’s hand. As she picked up and re-holstered her weapon, the sheriff began to notice the range of Feegles gathered around her. Some of them were familiar – the men who had been stuck in Storybrooke; but here they were outnumbered and outnumbered again by the horde of their brothers.

“Awrite then me beltin’ laddies?” the Kelda called out, and waved her hand.


	7. Chapter 7

The Kelda’s magic was different than anything Emma had experienced before. It tasted of green and salt and smoky fires deep underground. She felt the twist of the Feegles’ step, and they were back in the nightmare world where she had lost Regina.

She hadn’t returned alone. The Kelda had brought with them what seemed like an entire hillside of Feegles, weapons at the ready.

There was nothing for them to fight.

Emma twisted and spun, looking for some sign of hope. In the distance, she caught sight of a blur of purple. “There!”

“Aye lass, I sees it.”

The twist of the step again and they were close enough to see, but not close enough to help.

Regina had her back to a sheer face of rock. From the slump of her body, it was obvious the support of the rock was the only thing keeping her upright. Four or five creatures surrounded her; the bodies of at least three others littered the ground. Regina was still throwing fireballs, but these were weak efforts now, barely causing a dent in the attacking creatures’ hides. A distance away from her, two other creatures were coiling and striking as if attacking their own bodies. Emma could just make out a blur of blue dancing along their tentacles, Big Daft Willie’s sword and dagger stabbing and slicing everywhere he could reach.

Another twist, and Emma was finally at Regina’s side. The Kelda and a hundred Feegles had come with her, while the others were even now falling on the two creatures Big Daft Willie was tormenting. The Feegles roared their various battle cries, and leapt on the attacking nightmares. Emma threw up a wall of pure white light, circling her and Regina in its power, and hauled her down to the ground, sheltering her behind her own body. She’d let the Feegles do battle; she had more important things to worry about.

Regina was pale and cold, her power nearly exhausted. But she looked furious. “I sent you away!”

“Yeah. Did you really think I wouldn’t come back?”

“We can’t stay here like this,” Regina muttered, struggling to sit up. “We’re too exposed. There’s too many of them.” Despite her bravado, she was too weak to even stand.

Emma kissed her.

Later, she’d swear it was for medicinal purposes. What other way did she have to feed her energy into Regina?

Her power flared, seeking out Regina’s magic, and not finding an answering spark, it flowed out of Emma, filling Regina, warming her till she glowed. The drain on her energy caused the protective wall Emma had cast to thin and fade. She saw the creature slip past the Feegles’ defensive line; it came at them tentacles flung forward, still reaching for Regina. She had no time to cast a spell, and hardly any power left even if she could. The gun was in her hand and she was pulling the trigger, even as she was pushing Regina back behind her.

It was a one in a million shot. And as a wise man once said, one in a million chances come good nine times out of ten.

The bullet entered the creature at just the right angle to pierce its hide, scrape along bone, pierce an artery and create a blockage that led to a build up of pressure that caused a massive damp and sticky explosion.

It should have been a perfect end to it. Except a piece of the creature’s beak, dripping with bile and poison, spun away from the exploding body and speared Emma in the chest. She slumped back into Regina’s arms. There was a long moment while the universe held its breath. Regina laid Emma’s body gently down on the ground, and up stood the Evil Queen.

There was no mercy left in her. The flames that gushed from her hands burned everything before them. The Feegles dropped flat to the ground, allowing the dark fire to consume the monstrous creatures that did not have the sense to realise their doom was upon them.

When no nightmare creature was left to burn, the Evil Queen turned her gaze upon the Feegles. She heard the cries of “wailey wailey wailey”, and her mouth twisted into a cruel smile.

“Will you still have no queen?” she asked.

Only the Kelda stood forth to face her.

“I do nae stand on my land,” she said, “and my bairns are far frae hame. But I face you Quin Hag, Kelda tae Kelda. An’ I sez to ye, look you.” She pointed to Emma. “Yer heart yet beats.”

The Evil Queen dropped to her knees besides Emma’s prone body. She leaned forward, gazing intently at her, until she saw the slightest rise and fall of her chest. A laughing sob stuttered from her.

“Tis’ nae time for sorrow, ye ken?” the Kelda asked gently. “T’ darkness has nae claim t’ you.”

“I don’t know how to heal her.” Regina’s voice was quiet but heartbroken.

“Och aye. Dinnae fash yersel’ lass. I has t’ way o’ t’ healin. If’n we can find oor way hame. Afore those skitters come callin’ agin’d be favourite.”

Regina looked around, and sure enough, in the distance the monstrous creatures had started to gather again.

“Ye’ll bring yer lass, I’ll bring me bairns, and we’ll be hame afore supper. Jus’ follow where I step, ye ken?”

Regina nodded. The way of the Kelda’s magic seemed so obvious now. She lifted Emma up to a sitting position, wrapped her arms around her, and waited to feel the twist so she’d know which direction to step in. And then they were gone from the nightmares’ realm, and into a bright day on a green hillside.


	8. Chapter 8

Under the Kelda’s direction, the Feegles had carried Emma into a cave that wound deep under the hill. “Tae be closer tae t’ bones o’ t’ wurld, ye ken?” Regina didn’t understand, but she instinctively trusted the Kelda.

The Feegles lived in a series of connected underground caverns. She waited in a room next to where Emma lay, where the Kelda had covered her in potions and sat singing over her still-breathing but unconscious body.

Regina was kept company by a bashful Big Daft Willie, who had embraced his new name with some pride. “Och, there’ll be a ballad aboot it, ne’er ye fear Quin Hag. The wee weans’ll be singin’ o’ me fer ages, ye ken? How t’were I stood on me ain, an’ near lost me heid o’er a bigjob Kelda.”

“I am very grateful to you, Big Daft Willie,” Regina told him, “for staying with me. And I am very glad you didnae lose your numpty head.”

“Aww, gan wi’ ye. Ye’d talk t’ cheep oot o’ t’ birdies ye would.”

“Friends?” she asked.

“Aye.”

Someone brought her a greasy piece of meat, someone else a large wee dram of ale that tasted of honey and sunshine, and soon Feegle voices were lifted in song. It wasn't always in tune, and in fact they weren't always even singing the same song, and she was fairly sure there were at least three fights happening, but Regina felt the comfort of home. 

Finally, the Kelda came to her.

“Yer lass is askin’ after ye. She’s feared ye took a mighty hurt. Will ye come t’ her?”

Emma was sitting up, aware, and smiling hugely when she saw Regina in the doorway. The relief that washed through Regina left her weak and unable to trust her own legs to not shake.

“You’re looking well,” she said formally.

“Will you come here?” Emma said, slightly exasperated. “I have been waiting _hours_ to kiss you.” 

“Oh?”

“Yes, oh.” She reached out both hands.

Regina still did not allow herself to be drawn in. “You can’t have been waiting hours,” she said huffily. “You’ve been unconscious.”

“Unconscious but not unaware. Please Regina. I need to know you’re okay.” Her voice was so forlorn, that Regina caved.

She crossed the small distance between them, and allowed Emma to hold her. “I'm fine.” 

“I’m sorry Regina. I’m so sorry.”

“What on Earth are _you_ apologising for?”

“I promised you I’d watch your back, and then I let that bastard thing take you.”

Regina’s smile lit the room. “You are the most ridiculous creature Ms. Swan. I put your life in danger from the moment I allowed you to come on this mission. The next time I tell you to stay home, will you please listen to me?”

Emma grinned. “Probably not. You’re kind of stuck with me.”

Cradled against Emma’s chest, feeling the strong, steady beat of her heart against her cheek, Regina sighed and gave in. She tilted her face up, pulled Emma to her, and kissed her ridiculous brave hero. She felt the familiar flare of her power seeking its mate, but it was different now. It still raged and burned, but it was contained somehow, content, knowing that what it sought was right there, and would always be right there.

When Regina broke off the kiss, she noticed Emma’s puzzled, slightly disappointed look. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh. Nothing really. That was – very nice. Don’t get me wrong, I could do that all day. It’s just – it felt…different.”

Regina’s grin was wicked. “You miss the lust, do you?”

“No! Well…maybe, a little?”

“Don’t worry. It’s still there. I’ve learned to control it a little better, that’s all. When you’re stronger, and we’re home – and if you are very good, then mayb-“

Emma growled, hauled Regina back into her arms and proceeded to kiss her quiet. After a little while, she said, “Wait. How _are_ we getting home? Do we have to go back through the floorboards again?”

“No!” Regina replied fervently. “Never again. We’ll step back. I have the way of it now. And I can sense Henry, so I know the direction to go.”

“So,” Emma said thoughtfully, “You know the Kelda thinks you’re a Kelda?”

“Yes.”

“Does that mean, if we keep doing what we’re doing, that you’re going to have hundreds-“

“Ms. Swan.”

“Because you may need a bigger house.”

“You’re obviously feeling better. I think it’s time we got you home.” Regina said drily.

“Aye, tha’s likely fer the best,” the Kelda said, appearing out of nowhere and making both women jump. “Nae t’ rush youse or owt, but there cannae be more than one Kelda in a clan, ye ken.”

“Aye, I do ken that reet well,” Regina agreed.

The Kelda smiled. “Thank e’ fer returnin’ my bairns to me. Soft journeys t’ ye, an’ haste ye back. I’ll be glad t’ see yer clan grow.”

With the Kelda’s blessing still in their ears, Regina took Emma’s hand, fixed Henry in her mind, and they stepped home.

 


End file.
